Necessary technical prep for New Vegas

[Blaine]

Ah good, so it is covered in the wiki. I'd searched for "difficulty" and found only a bunch of unrelated articles, probably because difficulty is only one variable in the damage calculations.

On an unrelated note, now that I'm regularly meleeing everything, I consider this a near-essential mod: https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/56705?tab=description

I don't have anything against the one voice actor chosen to voice the Courier, but it's not exactly evocative of my preferred character concept of a masculine, middle-aged, gravelly-voiced hard man with a hard burden to bear in a hard old wasteland.

 

[PorkBarrellGuy]

If I were going to mod FNV (and I probably will eventually) I think I would look for a mod that adds more critters. Not necessarily giant mutant critters, just critters. Occasional rattlesnake might be interesting. More variety in flora would be neat too. I mean, I've been to the Mojave Desert and there's a surprising amount of diversity in plant life in some areas. Get into the mountainous chaparrals surrounding the Mojave and it gets even better. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Zion, idk.

 

[Ash]

Why the fuck hasn't someone built these base patching essentials into an all-in-one installer? Is the community retarded or is there a legitimate technical reason for it?

 

[you know what time it is]

Due to how fickle the shitty engine is, i'd say there's a reason for it.

But mostly it has to do with modders, since all of them little bits of fixes are made by different people, getting everything under one roof requires permissions, and no one got time for that.

Not everyone cares about playing nice though, so you can check out trackers like rustorka or rutracker for plug-n-play kind of packs, but they are usually filled with a bunch of other shit on top of the essentials.

 

[Blaine]

Why the fuck hasn't someone built these base patching essentials into an all-in-one installer?

Modders have spent thousands of hours creating and refining these essential programs and mods, and you can't spend an hour or two tracking them down and installing them? They're all different people, working for free on their own recognizance. I'm sure it could be done all in one, since ultimately it's mostly a matter of placing files somewhere in the hierarchy of the same directory structure, although FOMM is a standalone program in its own right and performs installation management such as backing up old files when you use it to install a mod, and automatically restoring everything to the way it was if you choose to uninstall that mod.

Also, not everyone will want all of what most people consider to be essential. If they have an ancient computer, they might not want the LAA mod, for example. Some people might not like YUP, as this thread has shown. That leads to modular/multiple versions of your desired all-in-one installer, even more work for someone to do when you could just start a Codex thread like I did and get a definitive answer within a few hours.

If you think modding New Vegas is a chore, you should have been around for Morrowind modding circa 2005-2009. Back then, just about every modder had his or her own website, or posted on some specific forum, etc. There was PES, but even so, it was a chaotic mess. I remember some chick obsessed with H.R. Giger made a biomechanoid race mod, then there was Great House Fliggerty....

Is the community retarded or is there a legitimate technical reason for it?

In general, yes, the community is retarded.

However, the good modders are excellent and we're lucky to have them. Even the less popular and/or more amatuerish modders probably make a few people happy.

 

[you know what time it is]

If you think modding New Vegas is a chore, you should have been around for Morrowind modding circa 2005-2009. Back then, just about every modder had his or her own website, or posted on some specific forum, etc. There was PES, but even so, it was a chaotic mess. I remember some chick obsessed with H.R. Giger made a biomechanoid race mod, then there was Great House Fliggerty....

Those were the days.

So many good mods got lost though, especially when planet elder scrolls went down, a shame really.

 

[Blaine]

Ratslayer obtained.

...at level 44.

 

[Ash]

Modders have spent thousands of hours creating and refining these essential programs and mods, and you can't spend an hour or two tracking them down and installing them?

I am a modder myself that spent five years of my life making what is perhaps the most monocled mod of all time. I command thee to spend 5 years divided by 60 minutes to get it running!
No, what I did was create an installer that doesn't make the installation process a tedious pain in the ass, and it includes baseline essential fixes for modern systems. In software/game development, the end-user is supposed to be #1.
It's also common to see bundle pack mods in various mod communities.

Also, not everyone will want all of what most people consider to be essential. If they have an ancient computer, they might not want the LAA mod, for example. Some people might not like YUP, as this thread has shown. That leads to modular/multiple versions of your desired all-in-one installer, even more work for someone to do when you could just start a Codex thread like I did and get a definitive answer within a few hours.

Starting your own thread, waiting a few hours, then spending another few hours actually installing everything is more desirable than an installer with optional modules that does it all in 5 mins?

If you think modding New Vegas is a chore, you should have been around for Morrowind modding circa 2005-2009.

I've played modded Morrowind. Generally installing all bethesda games to a state of satisfaction is a nightmare whereas you pop into most other mod communities and not have the same problems. Part of the reason is gameybryo, but the community does not exercise a lot of quality control on itself. No making the journey as pleasant as can be for the end-user.

 

[unfairlight]

No, what I did was create an installer that doesn't make the installation process a tedious pain in the ass, and it includes baseline essential fixes for modern systems. In software/game development, the end-user is supposed to be #1.

Gamebryo is a piece of shit and mod variety is so huge so it would be a pain in the long run and cause conflicts with other mods. It's not even hard to install them, it's copying and pasting files from a zip file to a folder, and some very complex mods do have installers like the Morrowind Graphics Overhaul mod.

 

[Ash]

We're talking essential fixes here. Necessary technical prep. So say you get an installer that puts all this on your machine in seconds:

Technical stuff:

Yukichigai Unofficial Patch
New Vegas Anti Crash
New Vegas Stutter Remover
FNV 4GB Patcher
New Vegas Script Extender
JIP LN NVSE Plugin
Fallout Mod Manager

with some of it being optional, whichever of these aren't quite so necessary or are likely to cause conflict.

Viola. New Vegas modding just got infinitely less annoying and time-consuming. From here you can branch out and get any game-enhancing mods you want, or just jump straight into a stable, purist-friendly experience. Someone must have done this, or there must be an actual legit problem preventing it, because otherwise it's just such an obvious opportunity.

 

[Blaine]

We're talking essential fixes here. Necessary technical prep. So say you get an installer that puts all this on your machine in seconds:

Why don't you create the installer, then?

Viola.

Who the Hell is Viola and what does she have to do with anything?

 

[Ash]

Why don't you create the installer, then?

The fuck kind of dumbass non sequitur is that? I am questioning why no one from the New Vegas mod community has done so. You know, people that know the ins and outs of the game, the file structure, which of those mods is truly mandatory, which of those mods may or may not cause a high rate of mod conflict, and wether or not there is a legitimate technical reason for none having done so already.

 

[Drax]

For some reason, New Vegas threads always end up like this

 

[Blaine]

I am questioning why no one from the New Vegas mod community has done so.

Then why don't you go and question the New Vegas mod community, you dense fuck? All you're doing here is whining, plain and simple.

 

[Ash]

well duh, I was whining...and querying, while not expecting a series of retarded responses.

"teh modders spent thousadns of hours modding and you can't even spend a few installing in return! ungr8ful!"

"Why dont you mod it then, whiner!"

Fuck off you raging faggot.

 

[Blaine]

well duh, I was whining...and querying, while not expecting a series of retarded responses.

You were whining, asking retarded questions, but not expecting retarded answers?

Says it all, really.

 

[Blaine]

I've realized that I'm almost ideally set up to be a deadly sneak-throw-sniper, so I installed this mod because this is utterly retarded:

                 .50 MG AMMO       THROWING WEAPONS
Damage               high            low/moderate
Range              very high         low/moderate
Availability       uncommon              rare
Weight               high              very high
Craftable            yes                  no
Recoverable      some casings             no
Technology      post-industrial    pre-agricultural

Right now I have Heave-Ho!, Ninja, Elijah's Ramblings, Better Criticals, and if I take Just Lucky I'm Alive, according the the Wiki I'll have 3.37x crit damage. That'll end up being around 225 damage on a crit with a throwing spear, plus sneak attack crits multiply that by 2, so that's 450 damage.

I'm playing on Very Hard now, but I'll be able to one-shot small fry and varmints with just a handful of spears carried around everywhere, then pull out the guns and explosives for more dangerous prey.

 

[Blaine]

The difficulty fluctuation in Lonesome Road on Very Hard is... special, to say the least. I turned it down to Hard temporarily, primarily to take the edge off the bullet sponge factor. I still get one-shot by Deathclaws while wearing Advanced Riot Armor with 2x Toughness, Subdermal Armor, and I believe ~500 HP now, unless I pop Slasher and/or Med-X, which don't really matter much anyway since it's almost as easy to get two-shot as it is to get one-shot.

I brought my not-inconsiderable arsenal of explosive weaponry to play with for fun, but I'd forgotten that fun isn't allowed in LR. Between stuff instantly spawning behind or on top of me based on environmental triggers, cramped quarters, piles of trash obstructing every sightline (and industry-worst terrain collision meshes), enemies generally holding whatever high ground there is until cleared, and enemies charging my position headlong, I only rarely get a good opportunity to use Annabelle.

It's not hard to deal with this stuff, but I wanted to use my explosives and other funweapons on actual difficult enemies for a change. Ah, well.

 

[2house2fly]

As far as I remember the only instantly spawning stuff is the tunnelers and the gotcha deathclaw when you go into that caravan on the highway. I believe some deathclaws also spawn on the highway when you get to the other end but they're well in the distance.

 

[Trashos]

The difficulty fluctuation in Lonesome Road on Very Hard is... special, to say the least.

Yes, I play on Very Hard too, and I find it more enjoyable on the base game than on the dlc. I won't complain about the dlc cranking up the difficulty, I appreciate that. But I would also have appreciated some better tuning here and there. In my last playthrough I tried Honest Hearts > level 20 for once (I usually do it at ~18), and at some point 3 giant cazadores piled on me out of nowhere. Once I saw there were 3, I didn't even try to defend.

 

[T. Reich]

I really hate the companion quest triggers in New Vegas.

Raul's is the worst: You have to exhaust dialog options with three specific individuals, and ONLY those exact individuals, while he's in your party. Ranger Andy however is located in Novac, where the player is specifically sent by the main quest very early on in the game to inquire about Benny. It's very likely that a player will exhaust Ranger Andy's dialogue and finish his quest while they're exploring Novac and surrounds.

Raul on the other hand is imprisoned in Black Mountain, behind the nest of deathclaws that effectively seals off that area to novice players unless they do some incredible Sneak pumping, strongly encouraging them to go the intended "horseshoe route" to New Vegas.

How is anyone supposed to know to return to Ranger Andy once they've rescued Raul? Andy is a relatively minor NPC with one relatively minor quest, and on top of that he gives you a perk when the quest is over. This sends a strong signal to the player that their business with that NPC is finished.

There is a clear theme to the triggers (damaged old-timers who still have some bite left in them), but the thing is, there are more than three of those in the game; and a first-time player has no idea how many damaged old-timers remain to be met, even if he makes the subtle connection.

While I totally agree that most/all companion quest triggers are rather counter-intuitive, my counter-point is that you assume a completionist playthrough. I'm very much a completionist myself, however, the open world nature of FO:NV promotes multiple playthroughs. As such, Raul may not be the main "feature" of the more traditional "horseshoe" FO:NV main quest playthrough, but he might as well become your early companion if you go the Sloan route (stealthboy found in Goodsprings makes it possible) and possibly take a detour in the BoS-inhabited hidden valley, which is right next to Black Mountain.

 

[Blaine]

As far as I remember the only instantly spawning stuff is the tunnelers and the gotcha deathclaw when you go into that caravan on the highway. I believe some deathclaws also spawn on the highway when you get to the other end but they're well in the distance.

You've forgotten quite a bit (you're in good company, because I'd forgotten almost EVERYTHING about LR). In the women's barracks, for example, two redskins with heavy automatics appear through the entrance door once you reach the far end of the building; when you pick up the Laser Detonator, several redskins spawn in the middle of the camp; when you enter Smitty's, three Tunnelers and two Deathclaws instantly appear—and the Deathclaws, like the camper Deathclaw, are furthemore lying in wait to jump down and flank you at the far end of that basin; and this is just what I remember off the top of my head from about a third of the DLC.

All of the DLCs have triggered spawns, although in DM it's less frequent/more subtle (with one obvious exception), and HH mostly tables them in favor of spawning Giant Cazadores and shit on top of you if you're level 20+.

 

[Blaine]

While I totally agree that most/all companion quest triggers are rather counter-intuitive, my counter-point is that you assume a completionist playthrough. I'm very much a completionist myself, however, the open world nature of FO:NV promotes multiple playthroughs. As such, Raul may not be the main "feature" of the more traditional "horseshoe" FO:NV main quest playthrough, but he might as well become your early companion if you go the Sloan route (stealthboy found in Goodsprings makes it possible) and possibly take a detour in the BoS-inhabited hidden valley, which is right next to Black Mountain.

That's a fair point, but even so, exactly three specific triggers is a pretty poor implementation. Three out of six possible would have been more flexible and quite an improvement. Boone and Arcade roughly follow such a pattern, requiring five points out of about 10+ possible.

Personally, I like to swap companions on the regular and I want them all upgraded/to experience their quests, so since I've already completed the game twice before and I'm not exactly spoiling myself on anything, I've consigned myself to metagaming the companion quests.

 

[Blaine]

I finished Lonesome Road yesterday.

I imagine my opinion now is similar to how I've felt about it in playthroughs past. In contrast to Nano, I found the ED-E dialogues entirely underwhelming. They're a little too neat, a little too sappy, the villainous general and officer are far too caricatured, and the responses are too railroaded and Bethesdian. Basically, the interactions amount to: "Gee whillikers, ED-E, those sure are some bad people! Don't worry, you're a good robot and I love you!" ::ecstatic beeping:: or "Worthless pile of trash! Fuck you, robot. I don't give a fuck about you. Ejaculate some ammo, you little fuck." ::sad beeping::

The interactions with Ulysses are similar. It doesn't really matter what dialogue options you choose, because he's going to spout essentially the same monologue at predictable scripted landmarks regardless. This changes somewhat at The End, and there are faction-based differences, but they could have put a lot more effort into letting the Courier steer the conversation in different ways while progressing through the DLC itself. As usual, it all amounts to a high Speech check at the very end. The rest is meaningless.

The writing is the problem, really. Nowhere is this more evident than the terminal entry in which a general bemoans "freedom-loving communists." An American general of the period (even a fictional alternate version of it) would never associate communists with freedom. New Vegas' ironic treatment of McCarthyism is usually spot-on, but whoever wrote that bit was trying way too hard and their hamfisted agenda-pushing showed big-time.

Ulysses is all right, at least from a tonal/atmospheric perspective. In general though, I find his insistence on speaking in metaphors and half-riddles to be tiresome. I suppose it's the sort of mystical dialogue spew that will probably impress a bright-eyed twenty-year-old player.

The gameplay was okay for what it was. I didn't like the scripted, triggered ambushes that completely ignored Sneak skill and spotting capability, and there are quite a few of them, probably more than two dozen. I didn't like the fact that the unscripted enemies were often tucked around corners, behind debris walls, or in very cramped quarters, forcing or chokepointing you into close range and severely limiting the usefulness of explosives and mines—which are THE central weapon feature of Lonesome Road, due to Red Glare, Satchel Charges, and warheads and missiles everywhere you look. Mines were useful for dealing with some packs of deathclaws, though.

Finally, there's way too much loot in Lonesome Road: Tons of food, ammo, and parts in just about every container, and extremely heavy weapons and apparel carried by Marked Men. Your choice is either to leave most of it (hundreds of thousands of caps' worth) behind, or laboriously haul it all back to the entrance for later extraction. Carry weight-type perks only slightly ameliorate this, because there are several literal tons of good loot to be found throughout the DLC. The Riot Gear and various weapons are good though. They're cool-looking, strong, and fun to use.

In summary:

 

[PorkBarrellGuy]

"freedom-loving communists."

EDIT: Especially in reference to any agent/lackey of the Fallout Chicoms, jesus.